http://www.canadaeast.com/rss/article/253686


Talk about a cluster ****.

Cheers
Marty

"Martin Baxter" wrote in message
...

http://www.canadaeast.com/rss/article/253686


Talk about a cluster ****.

Cheers
Marty


Towing at sea is a tricky business even withought the ice.
I always wondered about that when I owned a 19' weekender sailboat with a
hull speed of about 5 knots.
What would happen if a motorboat towed you at double that speed.

"Martin Baxter" wrote:
http://www.canadaeast.com/rss/article/253686

Talk about a cluster ****.


Sounds pretty bad. I can't believe that the Coasties were pulling a
~40' boat and not keeping a lookout on the tow. Especially if they're
towing thru an area of ice floes.... guess an icebreaker doesn't have
to worry about hitting ice herself?

"Don White" wrote:
Towing at sea is a tricky business even withought the ice.
I always wondered about that when I owned a 19' weekender sailboat with a
hull speed of about 5 knots.
What would happen if a motorboat towed you at double that speed.

Depends on a lot of things... sea state, how the towline is attached,
whether the towed boat can plane at all and if the crew can hold her
in an attitude to plane.

I've been on 22' (and smaller) sailboats towed at planing speed....
Always in calm weather, it's also true. It's a waste of gas, but it
does get you home faster.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

wrote in message
...
"Martin Baxter" wrote:
http://www.canadaeast.com/rss/article/253686

Talk about a cluster ****.


Sounds pretty bad. I can't believe that the Coasties were pulling a
~40' boat and not keeping a lookout on the tow. Especially if they're
towing thru an area of ice floes.... guess an icebreaker doesn't have
to worry about hitting ice herself?

"Don White" wrote:
Towing at sea is a tricky business even withought the ice.
I always wondered about that when I owned a 19' weekender sailboat with a
hull speed of about 5 knots.
What would happen if a motorboat towed you at double that speed.

Depends on a lot of things... sea state, how the towline is attached,
whether the towed boat can plane at all and if the crew can hold her
in an attitude to plane.

I've been on 22' (and smaller) sailboats towed at planing speed....
Always in calm weather, it's also true. It's a waste of gas, but it
does get you home faster.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

One of my previous sailboats had a wing keel and got towed by a power boat.
With considerable power we eventually got up on plane on the wing keel, just
like a hydrofoil. Everyone worked to carefully balance the boat, it was one
hell of a ride at 25 knots. Yea, that's the ticket!

Glory!

Bob Crantz

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:57:07 -0700, dougking888 wrote:

Sounds pretty bad. I can't believe that the Coasties were pulling a ~40'
boat and not keeping a lookout on the tow.

almost impossible to believe given the images I've seen of the sea ice
conditions they were transiting, and the fact that the towed ship had no
rudder...but a lack of a lookout is what is being alleged...hopefully the
truth will out in the investigation...in the meantime 4 souls are lost
and 4 sealing families are devastated

wrote:
"Martin Baxter" wrote:
http://www.canadaeast.com/rss/article/253686
Talk about a cluster ****.

Sounds pretty bad. I can't believe that the Coasties were pulling a
~40' boat and not keeping a lookout on the tow. Especially if they're
towing thru an area of ice floes.... guess an icebreaker doesn't have
to worry about hitting ice herself?

Italian driving: "What's a behind you is of no importance.."

Cheers
Marty

mister b wrote:
On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:57:07 -0700, dougking888 wrote:

Sounds pretty bad. I can't believe that the Coasties were pulling a ~40'
boat and not keeping a lookout on the tow.

almost impossible to believe given the images I've seen of the sea ice
conditions they were transiting, and the fact that the towed ship had no
rudder...but a lack of a lookout is what is being alleged...hopefully the
truth will out in the investigation...in the meantime 4 souls are lost
and 4 sealing families are devastated


Been listening to the story on CBC radio this morning at work. They were
interviewing a Capt. of a trailing boat, he claimed that the Coast Guard
were not answering his calls on VHF. He was in visual range and watched
as the disaster unfolded, he alleges that he repeatedly hailed the CG to
warn them that the tow was going pear shaped but got no answer.


It's possible that the cutbacks to the Coast Guard that have been
imposed over the last few years have impacted the service so much that
the boats are now undermanned and there's just not enough crew to run
the ship through ice and maintain lookouts fore and aft?

Cheers
Marty
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On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 07:57:07 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I've been on 22' (and smaller) sailboats towed at planing speed....
Always in calm weather, it's also true. It's a waste of gas, but it
does get you home faster.

Not a problem with nearly all daysailors. I used to tow 16 foot scows
regularly. Racers who had the wind die. Scows are somewhat
interesting, by the way. The A scows are 38 foot and 1850 lbs. They
can do at least 25 under sail. All the scows have twin rudders, pretty
rare for monohulls.

Casady

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:19:47 -0400, Martin Baxter
wrote:

It's possible that the cutbacks to the Coast Guard that have been
imposed over the last few years have impacted the service so much that
the boats are now undermanned and there's just not enough crew to run
the ship through ice and maintain lookouts fore and aft?

It's also possible that there are training and organizational issues.
A friend of mine was sailing a 40 footer back from Nova Scotia 10
years ago when he was T-boned in the fog (on the starboard side) by a
Canadian Coast Guard boat. His boat was almost totaled.

"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 07:57:07 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I've been on 22' (and smaller) sailboats towed at planing speed....
Always in calm weather, it's also true. It's a waste of gas, but it
does get you home faster.

Not a problem with nearly all daysailors. I used to tow 16 foot scows
regularly. Racers who had the wind die. Scows are somewhat
interesting, by the way. The A scows are 38 foot and 1850 lbs. They
can do at least 25 under sail. All the scows have twin rudders, pretty
rare for monohulls.

Casady
Usually, before starting to tow a boat a waiver has to be signed and agreed
by the captain of the boat being towed.